Improvement in electrical-circuit closers for hotel-annunciators



P. NEWHOFP. Electrical Circuit-Closer for Hotel-Annunciators.

No. 217,397. Patented July 8,1879.

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"'iPETERS. PNOTO LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON D C,

FRANK NEWHOFF, OF SAN FRANGISGO, CALIFORNIA.

IMPROVEMENT lN ELECTRICAL-CIRCUIT CLOSERS F05 HOTEL-ANNUNCIATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 217,397, dated July 5,1879 application filed January 9, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK Nnwuorr, of the city and county of SanFrancisco, California, have invented certain Improvements in MechanicalHotel-Annunciators; and that the following is a clear and exactdescription of my invention, reference being had to the annexeddrawings, in which- Figure 1 is a top view and section through the longaxis x y in Fig. 2; and Fig. 2 is a back view of the improvement,showingall the machinery contained therein.

My invention relates to that class of annunciaiors which are incommunication with the rooms or other places by means of wires, soarranged that a pull on said wire causes the indicator to show thenumber of the room, and also to move a common hell or the hammer of agong, so as to attract the notice of the attendant; and the object of myimprovement is to reduce the wear and tear of tilt wires and other partsof the apparatus.

The method I claim to have invented to attain this end is thesubstitution of an electric alarm in combination with a circuit breakingand closing device,. actuated by a suitable part of the machine, in lieuof the heavy gong and hammer heretofore used.

A is the box containing the machinery. V B is the wire connecting titheroom with the annnnciator, and is attached at B to the crank O, pivotedat O. The movement given to the crank C is comnumicated to the lever E,piv oted at E, by means'of wire D.

To the lever E is also attached the wire F, which passes through a holein the plate G, and is provided at the end with the loop F. The plate Gis fastened at the ends of the levers H H. I

By the above combinatioirof parts the pull on the wire B is transmittedto the blade G, the reciprocating spring I setting the levers and wiresback again to their place when the pull at B ceases.

The tumhler' or indicator J is fastened to a bolt passing through theside of box A. At the other end'of this bolt are riveted the projectionsK S S.

The projection K serves to rest on the branch L of lever E, so that whenlever E is withdrawn by the action of wire B the indicator J tumbles offand uncovers the numher on the dial. It is set back again in its placeby means of the crank M, bell-cranks M N, rods 0 P Q, and pins RRengaging in the prongs S S of the tumbler, and reciprocatin g spring MThe plate G is perforated with as many holes as there are wiresconnected with that part of the annunciator, and these wires are allprovided with the loop, as in F, so that the motion of one wire has noeffect on the others, as the plate G in its receding motion simplyslides over them.

The above description of parts relates to the manner in which theannuncial'ors have been for a long time and are now built for thepurpose of indicating the number of the room from whence the signal issent. The hell or gong is sounded by means of an attachment placed onthe levers H H.

The power needed to raise the hammer and set it again in its place isthe cause of great strain on the wire or wires B, especially in the caseof long distances.

The object of my improvement is to relieve the wire and machine of allsuch strain by taking off the bell or gong attachment and substitutingin its stead an ordinary electric alarm, and to connect it with the:mnunciator in such a mannerthat the movement of lever H breaks orcloses the circuit of the battery and alarm wires.

There are several methods of accomplishing this result, and thefollowingdescription shows the one I have adopted:

T and T are the insulated buttons to which are fastened the ends of thewires connected with the battery and alarm in the usual manner. U is astationary flexible rod of brass, connected with button T, and having ablade of brass, U soldered at its end. U is another flexible rod ofbrass, provided with the blade U The rod U is set, so as to bear lightlyon the lever V, pivoted at r, and the two rods U and U are placed sothat the ends U U sit about one-thirtyseeond of an inch apart. Thislever V is connected with lever H by means of rod V so that when themotion of the lever H, and consequent tumbling of indicator J, takesplace, the two ends of rods U and U are brought into contact, thusclosing the circuit and causing a common electric bell to ring an alarm.

When the pull on Wire 13 ceases, the action of the reciprocating springV sets the parts back in their place, as shown in Fig. 1.

It is evident that the power needed to effect a contact between the rodsU and U is extremely small, and nothing in comparison with the strainbrought to bear on the machinery in the gong action heretofore used, andthat I have thus accomplished the object sought for in my improvement.

Now, I do not claim any invention or change in the tumbling mechanism ofthe annunciator nor do I claim the exclusive use of an electric bellwith an anrmnciator, but simply the controlling of the circuit in thebell by means of the motion of lever H; and, therefore,

That I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a mechanical annunciator, the combination of the lever H With theconducting-Wires X Y of an electric bell, and the circuit closing andbreaking dex'ice composed of lever V, reciprocating spring Vconnecting-rod V, and contact-rods U and U, or their equivalent, asdescribed, and for the purpose specified.

FRANK NEWVHOFF.

\Vitnesses:

J. W. HAGGERTY, H. K. BROWN.

